Form for shrouds.



E. G. GEREKE.

FORM FOR SHROUDS',

APPLICATION FILED JULY .1915.

Patenmd Nov. 27, 191?.

EDWARD Gr. GEREKE, OF SI. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

FORM non srrnouns.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 27, ram.

Application filed July 1, 1916. Serial No. 107,061.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD G. GEREKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Forms for Shrouds, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a device that is adapted to be used principally for imparting shape to the bust and shoulder portions of a shroud while it is being displayed for inspection or sale and for preventing the shroud from becoming creased or wrinkled while it is in transit from the manufacturer to the place where it is used or finally sold.

Prior to my invention it was the general practice among shroud manufacturers to arrange tissue paper, excelsior and various other materials inside of a shroud, so as to impart shape to the shroud and prevent it from becoming creased or wrinkled, the usual practice being to first arrange the shroud in a box and then fill the bust and shoulder portions of the shroud with tissue paper or excelsior, so as to produce a form that would hold the bust portion of the shroud extended, and thus impart somewhat the same appearance to the shroud that it presents when in use in a cofiin. This method of preparing a shroud for display purposes and for shipment. is expensive, on

account of the time required for building the bust form in the shroud and the large quantity of tissue paper, eXcelsior or other material that is used in said operation; it necessitates the employment of high-priced operatives possessed of considerable skill, and it results in a product that is far from uniform, because the shape and appearance of different shrouds depends entirely upon the taste and skill of the different operatives who fill the shrouds or construct the bust forms in same. Furthermore, as the box in which the shroud is placed is subjected to considerable jolting and rough handling while in transit from the manufacturer, the loose material used to produce the bust form invariably shifts around to such an extent that the shroud is not in a presentable condition for display purposes when it reaches the undertaker, who finally disposes of it.

The main object of my invention is to provide an inexpensive form for shrouds that will impart substantially the sameappearance to the bust and shoulder portions of the shroud as the shroud would present if arranged one body; that can be installed quickly and accurately, even by an unskilled operative, and which will effectively hold the shroud in shape and prevent it from becoming creased or wrinkled when the shroud is in transit from the place where it is packed for shipment.

Another object is to provide a form for shroudsthat can be adjusted easily to adapt it to shrouds of various bust measures, and also to enable it to be used either with a shroud for a male corpse or a shroud for a. female corpse.

And still another object is to provide a bust form having the characteristics above referred to which is so constructed that it takes up very little space when not in use. Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a top plan view of a shroud form constructed in accordance with my invention arranged in operative position in a shroud, which is.

shown in broken lines.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view, taken on the line 2- of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an end view of my improved shroud form, adjusted to adapt it to a male shroud.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a portion of said form, illustrating one adjustment of same.

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view of same, taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse sectional view, taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5.

Briefly described, my improved form consists of two members, preferably formed from cardboard or other suitable sheet material and provided with interlocking portions that hold one of said members, which I will refer to as the adjustable top portion of the form in proper position on the other member, which I will refer to as the base plate of the form, said coiiperating interlocking portions being so formed and arranged that the adjustable top portion will have the general outline of the bust and shoulder portions of a human body. The form is so constructed that the adjust able top portion of same can be changed easily to vary the height of the bust portion of the form and also vary the distance between the shoulder line and the bust line, 5 thus enabling the form to be used either "witl'rav high'bust orlow. bust female shroud,

or to change the general contour of said adjustable top portion, so as to adapt the form to a male shroud.

ffBeferrin g to the drawings, which illusy trate'the j'preferred form of my invention, BZdesignates the. base plate of the form and -'A; desijgnates the adjustable top portion, ;.both"fof" which member s are preferably "formed from sheets of cardboard or other 1 suitable {inexpensive sheet material that is Qmor'" or less rigid but whichfcan be .bent withoutbreaking. The top portion A of the form is of greatest width at its upper f end and is providecbwith two shoulder porgtionsfl that arejarranged on opposite sides "offa; ne cl'r opening2. At points intermediate theupper-and"lower ends' of the member A slits areformed in the side edge portions of; same, so as to permit the side edge portionsofth memberA to'be shortened, by j 'lap'ping the port-ions on opposite sides of the slitsf3, as shown in Fig.1, and thus cause the member A, to assume a substantially 3o concavo-co'nvex form. In other words, the

member A is provided withslits 3 that eX- "tjend inwardly toward each other from the side 'edges of said member, so as to enable the; member Alto be' bent into ashape substantially similar to the eontour of the bust ,or chest portion of aghumztn body, byoverlapping the portions of said memberglying onoppositesides of each of the slits 3. "After the member A has been bent in the 4o manner described, the overlapping portions [of said member are connected by .means of split shank paperfasteners 4, or some other suitable retaining means. 'I-Ioles 5 are-pref- ,erablyformed in the member A at the inher ends of the slits 3, so as to eliminate sharp projections or corners on the portion ,lofthe; member A that imparts shape to the I breast portion of a shroud.

' The base plateB acts as a support for the'top portion A, and said elements are provided with cooperating parts for lockingthemtogether when said elements are assembled. In'the formof my invention herein! illustrated the vbase plate B is provided adjacentdts lower end with a flap .fijthlat" portion v of the top member,A,,an d passes ""througha slit 7 in the'member A, thusprei'ven-tingi the member A from'moving downfwandlyavith relation to the base plate B for upwardlypff of said base plate. i"centfthe uppei" end of the base plate Bare shoul'derjfiaps 8 that lap over the shoulder poi tions l of the member 'i'nto's1its 9'in the "member A, as shown in lines in Fig, 1,

r .10 previously described. pro ects upwardly over the lower edge Adja- A and project Fig. '1, said shoulder flaps 8 being long enough so that; they Wlll remain in engagebust portion of the form and increase the distance between the shoulder line and bust line, as hereinafter described. The flaps 6 and S are preferably formed integral with the base plate B and are. substantially wedge-shaped or oftapered formfsothat they can beinserted easily in their cooperating slits, but I wish it to be understood that my invention is not limited to a shroud form in which the top and bottom portions of same are connected together "1n the man- .ner previously described, as; it is immaterial,

so far as myfbroad idea is'co'ncerned,what means is employed for preventing relative movement of the two portions of the form andfor forming the extensible shoulder'portionsof same. In order to provide a substantially rigid support "for the upper portion of the'memberA, I haveprovidedsaid member wlth a flap-10, shown more'clearlv in Fig. 2, that is arranged atsubstantially right angles tothe upper portion of the member A, so that the freeend of'same will bear against the base plate B, said flap 10'being preferably locked to the'basc plate by means of a reduced extension 1O on the end of sameth'at passes'through. a slot 11 in the base plate and which is bent into a position at substantially right angles to said flap. The extension 10 is [wider than the length of'the slot 11 and the end portions of said extension a're scoredlso that they can bebent' over sufii'ciently to permit said extension'to be inserted through the the slot l1, s'aid end portions being thereafter bent backinto their foi'meifpositions, so as to eliminate thepossibility of the extension 7 pulling out of the "slot accidentally. I also prefer. to provide-the flap 10 withside flanges 10 shown inbrolren so as to reinforce "and strengthen 'said'fiap. If desired, asimilar bracing element may g be provided 1 for the lower portion I of the member A, such, for example, as a flap 12 arranged '{at substantially right angles'to the base plate-B and provided at. its free end with a reduced extension 12? that is adapted to be "inserted through'a slot 13 in "the base platein a similar manner to the'eXtension'f-on the flap Tl1is flap 12th; not essential,,however, as the adjustable top portion A of the form hasisutficient rigidity to hold it in shape without theme,

of a supporting element; at the lo wer end portion of themember A.

hen the form is used-in a' female shroud the side edge portions"offhefmember A tended, thus causing theimember A to conform approximately .to the outline of, that portion of a femalefigure lying between the waist line and the breast, which, as is Well known, slopes rather abruptly inwardly from the bust line to the waist line, as indicated 10.

in Fig. 2. When the form is used for a male shroud, however, the side edge portions of the lower end of the member A are moved inwardly toward the longitudinal center of the form, so as to raise the lower portion of the memberA and impart a more abrupt. curvature .to same, as indicated in ,Fig. 4, thus causing the member A to conform approximately to the outline of the corresponding portion of a male figure. In order to hold the member A in position when it is adjusted inthis manner, said memberis provided with flaps let, shown in Fig. 1, that are adapted to be inserted through slots 15 in the base plate B, said flaps being a trifle longer than said slots, so that the end portions 1% of the flaps can be folded over during the operation of, inserting the flaps through the slots 15', and thereafter bentback into their former position, so as to prevent the flaps from pulling out of their coiiperating slots. If the form is provided with an auxiliary bracingelement 12, said element is disconnected from the base plate B, as shown in Fig. 4: when the form is adjusted to adapt it to a male shroud, as above described. I

My improved formis not only so constructed that it can be adapted toeither a male shroud or female shroud, but it is also so constructedthat it'can be adjusted easily to adapt it to female shrouds having various bust measures, the form beingso constructed that the act of adjusting it to vary the height of the bust portion also changes the distance between the shoulder line and bust line. As shown in Fig. 1, the member A is provided with a plurality of openings 16 for receiving the fastening devices 4, previously referred to, and the base plate B is provided with a plurality of slots 11 for re ceiving the extension on the flap 10 that acts as a supporting element for the upperpor- .tion of thememberA. If the form is to be 7 used in a female shroudof large bust measure, the side edge portions of the member A are made as short as possible, by removing the fastening devices 4: and inserting them in the lowermost holes 16 in the member A, thereby imparting greater curvature to the intermediate portion of the memberA and moving said portion upwardly with relation to the base plate. The act of shortening the .side edge portions of the member A of course increases the distance between the holes 5 in the member A and the upper end punched out of same bymeans of dies.

remain in engagement with the member A when the form isadjusted to adapt it to the maximum bust measure. 7

Another characteristic of my improved shroud form which adds greatly to its commercial utility is that the neck portion of same can be raised and lowered by changing the angle of the flap 10 with relation to the base plate. When the flap 10 is arranged. at approximately right angles to the base plate, as shown in Fig. 2, the member A will hold the neck portion of the shroud extended the maximum distance, but by disconnecting the flap 10 fromthe base plate and moving the free end of same upwardly so that the extensionon same can be inserted-in one of the higher slots 11 in the base plate, the portion of the member A at the lower edge of the neck opening 2 will be brought nearer to the base plate, In other words, by arranging the extension on the flap 10 in one or the other of the holes 11 in the base plate, and by varying the length of the side edge portions of the member A, the contour of the member A can he changed in various ways, so as to adapt the form to female shrouds of various sizes.

The base plate B is preferably provided at its upper end with a flap 17 that acts as a closure for the neck opening 2 in the member A, said flap having wings or extensions 17 a which are adapted to be inserted between the shoulder flaps 8 on the base plate and the portions of the member A over which said shoulder flaps extend, so as to securely hold the neck flap in its closed position. Holes 18 are'preferably formed in the base plate B adjacent the upper end of same, so as to receive a string or piece of tape used to suspend the form from a supporting structure during the operation of arranging a shroud on the form, and-other openings 18 are formed in the lower portion of the base plate, said openings 18 and 18 permitting the form with the shroud thereon to be securely attached to the bottom of the box C in which the shroud is shipped, by means of pieces of string, thread or other suitable fastening devices that are passed through the bottom of the box and through the holes 18 and 18 A form of the construction above described can be manufactured at a low cost, on account of the fact that it consists of only two members that are formed from cardboard or other suitable sheet material by means of cutting dies, the various flaps on the members A and B constituting integral parts of said members and the various slots and openings in said members being cut or possible-tdprepare a shroud for shipment in much less time than is possibleby the fore. the form is assembled, the two parts A and B of same are in the form of flat sheets.

Consequently, the form takes up very-little space-when it is not in use.

To assemble the form it is only necessary to bend the flaps on the-members A and B I into proper position and insert them through their cooperating slots, which operation is of such acharacter'that it can be performed quickly and by an unskilled operative. The ttact thatth'e form is complete at the time the packingopera'tion isstarted and isof such a cl1aracterthat-a shroud can bearranged on same before the shroud is placed in the box in whichit is shipped, makesit method heretofore used in preparing shrouds for shipment. Moreover, such a form imparts substantially the same appearance to the shoud as the shroud -presents-whenarranged on body, and it effectively holds the shroud in position and prevents it i'rom becoming creased or wrinkledwhile it is in transit, owing to the fact that the'xform -as an-entirety can be stitched or secured inany -other manner to the iabottom of the boX in which the shroud is shipped. The form can be adjustedeasily to adapt it -tomale shrouds or female shrouds or to raise or lower the bust portion 'of'the shroud and the adj acent neckportion; and still another deslrable characteristlcof such a form is that it comprises a portion-that -'for1ns a support for the collar of the shroud orfor any material 1 that is arranged in! the neck opening of theshroud, so as=to-impart a nnished app'earance'to the shroud.

While my improved-form is intended: to be used principally for shrouds,- I wish it to be. understood that it is not limited to this specific use, as itcan be used inficonnection -w.-1th various other .lKlIIClS of .mens or .womens garments for impartmg shape-to same and: for preventing creasing or wrinkling: of the breast and: shoulder '.port1ons of same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire-tosecure by'Letsters Patent, is:

1. 'aAJfOrm: for the purpose described, comprising a base plate, .an. adjustable'top. portion .of substantially curved form'=in-.;cross section arranged-above said base plate and provided with means whereby it can beadhjustedv-to Vary the cross-sectional. shape of said top portion and raise and. lower it relatively to said base plate,:and shoulder :flaps on one of said elementsarranged insliding engagement with: the other element. 1

2. A form for the purpose described provided with aiibase-plate a top part having shoulder portions. that slope upwardly from 7 said base plate andmerge into a breast: portion, integral '.:shou1der :flaps on a said base plate that lap over said top part and through slots same,- means for enabling said-top part to be adjusted-soasto change the elevation -of=said brieast portion, and -independent means for enabling the lower portion of 7 said top part to; be raised and lowered with relation to the baseplate.

' 3. A form for the purpose described provided with a 'base plate, a -top part having shoulder portions that slopeupwardly from said base plate and mergeintoabreast portion, shoulderyflaps onsai'd basepl'atethat lap over said top part'andproject through slots in same, means for-enabling1 said top part to be adjusted so as tochange ithefele- 'vation of said breast portion, independent means for enabling the lower portion oflis'a id top part to be raised and-loweredwith relation to the base plate, 1 and neck-' flapon said base plate that lapsoversaid top-part 3 at points intermediate said shoulder flaps.

' 4. Aform for the purpose described, consisting of'a bottom memberianda top member formed from sheet material and arranged in superimposed relat1on, sa1d 5 top member being provided with means that enables the side edge portions of said member to be lengthened shorte ied so aswto-impart a substantially curved form to said'top 1 member both longitudinally and transversely, means for. fsecurin-gthexlowerv edge I portions; of said members together, and" bite grali shoulder =flaps. on esaidwbottom member that lap over said topsr'nember andprojett through slots in same. i

5. A form for theap'urpose described,-consisting of abottom member and a top memsaid top member; and?cprojectr through slots in same, an adjustable supporting gQlQIIlBIlt arranged 2 between said :imernbers' acent .the upper-Lends of same for enabling one portiOIL-OfiSELidz top member; to: rhea-raised; and lowerediwith relation: to said: bottom member, i and an independent means for enabling the cross-sectionalcurvature of the i lower portion of'said top :member to be varied.

3 6 A form fo'nthe purpose described, con- SlStlIlg-Of: a bottom member and: a t'op member formed from :sheetgmaterial and .:ar

- :ranged :in superimposed relation, -'said-top member being K provided with iimeans that enables the side edgeportions ofsaid member to be lengthened-i. and shortenede so as to I impart a. -substantially curved form to said top memberboth longitudinally and transversely, means for securing the lower edge portions of said members together, shoulder flaps on said bottom member that lap over said top member and project through slots 5 in same, an adjustable supporting element arranged between said members adjacent the upper ends of same for enabling one portion of said top member to be raised and lowered With relation to said bottom member an independent means for enabling the cross-sectional curvature of the lower portion of said top member to be varied, a neck opening in said top member, and a neck flap on said bottom member that closes said neck opening.

EDWARD G. GEREKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

